Vehicle



Dec. '1, 1925- 1,563,766 w. E. McLAREN VEHICLE Original Filed April l6 2 u I gwmmtoc Wiimiia ZZ jZflZare/a,

Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNlTED STATES 1,563,766 PATENT caries.

WILLIAM E. MGLAREN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALI'ZFGRNIA.

VEHICLE.

Original application filed April 16, 1924, Serial No. 706,820. Divided and this application filed March 12,

Serial No. 14,977.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM E. Mc- Li-inniv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Les Angcles, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in vehicles, but has particular relation to that type of wheeled vehicles for use by children, commonly known as scooters, wherein propulsion thereof is effected by placing one foot of the user on the foot rest board of the vehicle and by thrusts in the proper direction on theground of the other foot.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision in a wheeled vehicle, of braking means therefor, of such construction, arrangement and co-operation of its parts with parts of the vehicle, that said means may be applied by foot manipulation and in such a manner as to render abrupt stoppage of the vehicle impossible, thereby avoiding the possibility of the child or user being thrown violently forward and possibly from the vehicle and injured, yet so that a gradual but positive stopping or braking action will be attained.

It is another object of the invention to furnish simple and efiicient means for preventing the foot of the user applied to the foot rest board of one form of the invention slipping in the operation of propelling the vehicle.

This application is a division of applica tion Ser. No. 706,820, filed by me on April 16, 1924;, Patent No, 1,529,957.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and explanation, which will be more readily understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate embodiments of the invention, it being understood that.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the vehicle shown in Fig.1, and

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through the foot restboard showing a portion of the frame of the vehicle and the brake mechanism for co-operation' with the rear wheel of the vehicle.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates as a whole the frame of the vehicle, which comprises a pair of spaced parallel bars 11 which have their front portionsupturned and approximated or inclined towards each other as at 12 and their rear portions slightly upturned or rezitrwardlv inclined as at 13. The rear wheel lei of the vehicle is suitably journaled between the rear ends of the members 11 of the frame and said wheel is by preference equipped with a rubber tire of any desired kind.

The front ends of the bars 11 of the main frame of the vehicle are secured to a head 15, which head is pivotally connected to the upright steering member designated as a whole by the numeral 16 by mean of a pivot rod 17 extended through openings in rearwardly extended projections 18 and 19 on the steering member 16 and through a suit able opening in the head 15, which rod can be held in position by means of a nut 20 threaded on its lower portion. The steering member 16 may include parallel bars which are spaced and have their lower portions downwardly and outwardly tleiimted, so as to stride thefront wheel 22 of'the vehicle and so as to en'ibraceits hub portion whichis suitably journaled in the lower ondsof the bars 21 constituting the steeling member of the vehicle.

The wheel 22,

like the wheel 14-, is by preference provided witha rubber tire. The upper ends of the .bars 21 have transversely mounted thereon in any suitable way ahandle 23 provided with a gripping portion 2 1 near each .of its ends.

Mounted on the upper surface of the parallel portions of the frame 10 and their brace bars 33 which connect them together transversely, is the foot rest board 34 which is provided on its surface with a mat or covering 35 which is by preference made of rubber or some other suitable slightly resilient material and has a series of spaced longitudinally extending ribs 36 on its upper surface. This mat or covering 35 is by preference coextensive in its dimensions with that of the board 841- and is employed for preventing or rendering less liable slipping of the foot of the user of the vehicle which rests on said mat when riding or propelling the vehicle. At its rear end and about midway between the bars 11 the board 3st has secured to its lower surface a [depending bracket STwhich has an opening 38, forthe reception and operation of a brake rod located at one of its ends in said opening and extended horizontally and longitudinally beneath the board 3% This rod has its front end pivotally connected to a foot lever ll) whichis somewhat, of the form of a bell crank, lever and is fulcrumed between its ends on a pivot l-l mounted in thefront end of the foot rest board about midway between the front portion of the parallel parts 11 of the main frame of the vehicle. The foot lever e extends above the board 3% and its mat and is held in its normal position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 by means of a coil spring 42 located around the rod 39 at its rear portion and has one of its ends in contact with the depending bracket 87 and its other end resting against a collar d3 fixed to the rod 39 at a suitable distance forwardly of said bracket.

Mounted on the rear end of the rod 39 is a shoe adapted to engage with the rear wheel of the vehicle for controlling the speed thereof. This shoe preferably comprises a ll-shaped yoke lel between the arms of which is rotatablylocated a. spool-shaped brake .shoe 45 to contact with the wheel, 1st when desired. In order to cause the brake shoe 45 to contactwith the rear wheel 14, it is obvious that by applying pressureto the foot lever 40 and forcing the upper end'of said lever forwardly, the rod 39 will be'moved longitudinally and rearwardly against the tension of the spring 48 a sufficient distance to permit the roller e5 to impinge against the tire of the wheel Isl andas both of these members revolve, it is obvious that abrupt stoppage of the vehicle will be prevented but a gradual and positive stoppage will be effected.

In order to provide means for holding the vehicle in an upright position while thesame is at rest, I employ a stirrup or loop member generally designated 46, having its ends pivotally connceted'to the shaft or axle of the rear wheel 1 1- and being of sufficient size to straddle the said wheel without.touching the same. As shown, the stirrup 46 has its side members l? inclined from each other forwardly and connected together at their front portions by a crosspiece 4.8, which, when the member 4:6 is turned down, the cross piece 48 will rest on the ground or floor forwardly of the axis of the wheel 14-, thus forming a wide base for supporting said wheel out of. contact with the floor and against lateral or tilting movement.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawings it will be readily understood and clearly seen that by my improvements a very simple, inexpensive and efficient vehicle of'the class described is provided, in which the user may apply braking pressure to the rear wheel thereof in such a way that the al'irupt stoppage of the vehicle will be avoided, yet a gradual stoppage thereof will be e liected.

It is further obvious that a means for sup porting a vehicle of the scooter type in an upright position is afforded, which means is simple in operation yet very effective.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: i

1. In a scooter vehicle, a foot board, front and rear wheels supporting said board, a bracket at the rear of said board, a rod slidable in said bracket, a yoke at the rear end of said rod,'a roller in said yoke adapted when the rod is moved rearwardly to engage said wheel, a pedal at the front of said board connected to said rod, and a spring associ ated with said rod and bracket and normally holdingsaid rod retracted.

2. In a scooter vehicle, a foot board, front and rear wheels supporting said board, a bracket at the rear of said board having an apertured portion depending therefrom and alined with said rear wheel, a rod slidable in said apertured portion and disposed substantially parallel with said board, a brake member at therear of said rod beyond said bracket and adapted to engage said rear wheel when the rod is moved in one direction, a spring normally holding the rod with said brake retractechand a pedal pivoted near the forward end of said board and attached to said rod.

In a scooter vehicle, a foot board, a pair of parallel bars beneath and supporting said board, front and rear wheels supporting said bars, a bracket depending from the rear of said board, a rod slidable in said bracket and disposed beneath said board in a plane above the lower edges of said bars, a brake at the rear of said rod for engagement with said rear wheel, anda pedal connected with'the front portion of said rod.

In. testimonywhereof I affix my signature.

IVILLIAM E. MOLAREN. 

